Christmas Day Plane Crash Leaves Two Dead, Several Homeless in South Dakota

The incident has left at least two families homeless after the plane flew through a residential neighborhood.

byCam VanDerHorst|
Christmas Day Plane Crash Leaves Two Dead, Several Homeless in South Dakota
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A single-engine plane crash on Christmas Day in Sioux Falls, South Dakota has left two dead and several people homeless. The aircraft plummeted into a residential neighborhood, wrecking four houses with two damaged heavily enough that the Red Cross may soon step in to shelter the families affected.

The accident occurred around 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday evening, while many in the neighborhood were still celebrating Christmas with their families. With a debris field stretching several blocks, it's a minor miracle that no injuries were reported on the ground, with both fatalities being occupants of the airplane.

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Two locals who rushed to the scene to help spoke with CNN about the aftermath of the crash. "(It) sounded like a plane did a nose dive into the ground," said Max Jamison, who lives two blocks away from the crash site. He, along with several others, hopped in their cars to drive over and help.

Joe Harris also lives in the neighborhood and interrupted his Christmas celebration to assist. "I was at a Christmas gathering with my parents when we heard the explosion and saw the fire," he said. "We ran about three blocks to the site."

Details are still sparse. The Associated Press reported on the discovery of the second fatality only hours ago; the identities of those fatalities have not yet been released by the authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to Sioux Falls to begin its investigation into how the accident transpired.

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